South Dakota governor signs bill to keep men out of girls’ locker rooms, restrooms

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden. / Credit: U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Dustin Jordan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed three bills into law on Friday that he indicated reflect the values of the state, including one law that will prevent males from entering girls’ restrooms or locker rooms in any public school or public building.

Another law restricts access to obscene materials for minors in public libraries and public school libraries. The third clarifies the rights and obligations of the father of a child born to a mother to whom he is not married.

“South Dakota is a place where commonsense values remain common, and these bills reinforce that fact,” Rhoden, a Republican, said in a statement. “These bills promote strong families, safety in education, and freedom from the ‘woke’ agenda like what has happened in too many other places.”

The new law related to the sex-based separation of facilities requires that public schools and public buildings separate restrooms, locker rooms, and sleeping quarters on the basis of sex as defined by a person’s biological characteristics rather than self-asserted “gender identity.”

Under this law, men who self-identify as “women” will not be able to access protected spaces reserved for girls and women.

Any person who encounters someone of the opposite sex in a restroom or locker room can file a lawsuit against the public entity if the entity permitted the person to enter or failed to take any reasonable steps to prohibit the person from entering.

Lawsuits must be filed within two years of the violation.

Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Sara Beth Nolan said in a statement that “women and girls should not be forced to sacrifice their privacy and safety to activists pushing gender ideology.” 

“Allowing men to invade girls’ spaces — including locker rooms, sleeping areas, or restrooms — rips away girls’ spaces,” Nolan added. “[This law] ensures that girls’ spaces in public schools and public buildings are not open to men and prioritizes privacy and safety for every South Dakota girl.”

The South Dakota action mirrors federal efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to combat gender ideology and prevent men from accessing women’s and girls’ spaces. 

Trump signed an executive order to clarify that within federal regulations, there are two sexes that are determined by biological characteristics. Another order separated male and female sports, restrooms, and other facilities on the basis of biological sex in educational institutions that receive federal funding.

Many of Trump’s executive orders have been challenged in court and are being held up by judges.